Reaching the age of 70 doesn’t mean a person’s lost their value or their abilities, and it certainly doesn’t mean they should be stripped of their knowledge or their right to have a say. Yet as any man and woman who reach their sixth decades know, that period of life ushers in a muted and aching transition. All of a sudden, they are no longer asked for their opinions, their points of view are ignored, and decisions are made for them for “the sake” of their well-being.
Infantilization: A Silent and Normalized Violence
So, what felt like a genuine appreciation for one’s years of experience turns into a need to control, masquerading as concern. Many older adults describe a sudden, unsettling shift in how they are treated. People begin speaking to them in a softer, almost childlike tone. Plans are made without them having a say. Their decisions are questioned and their choices are undermined with sentences like “it’s for your own good” and “at your age you shouldn’t be doing that anymore.”
